Hidden Kitchens: Stories and More From NPR'S the Kitchen Sisters

by Nikki Silva, Davia Nelson

Food is our common ground, a universal experience. -James Beard
The saga of the Chili Queens of San Antonio, NASCAR kitchens tucked away in the crew pits at race tracks, the story of an unexpected kitchen--the George Foreman Grill--these stories and more from Hidden Kitchens, the popular and highly acclaimed radio series on NPR's morning edition, is now being released on a 3 CD set based on the new book Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes & More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters.

Produced by the Peabody Award winning radio team, The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, (creators of NPR's Lost & Found Sound and The Sonic Memorial Project) with Jay Allison, Hidden Kitchens explores the world of street corner cooking, kitchen traditions and visionaries, and how communities come together through food. These stories of secret, underground, unofficial and off the radar kitchens come alive in these sound rich stories full of an array of voices, music, and archival audio that capture a strong sense of place and time--stories that travel the country chronicling kitchen cultures past and present.

Hundreds of listeners called the NPR Hidden Kitchens Hotline with intriguing messages and hot tips about underground kitchens at nuclear test sites, secret civil rights kitchen, family recipes and more. Many of these funny, passionate and poignant messages are featured on this beautifully crafted, richly layered audio edition.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food Writing, History, Cooking, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published October 13, 2005

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

229:2023
Fantastic stories of food history and food heritage from across the country. Not recipe focused, but there's still a good handful that I'd consider buying a paper copy to mark up and try the cultural treasures.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book that contains stuff I would never fix or eat but enjoyed reading about. Mutton! Great stories and recipes.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved loved loved the stories. hated the format- gives one ADD.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this, and that is a very different experience than it would have been to read it--because we hear people talk about their food ways and their hidden kitchens, as well as the music that is associated with the region that they highlighted. The idea is that there are a multitude of food ways that we are largely unfamiliar with that are worthy of our attention, and that in order to really appreciate what is culturally rich about American, it is worth talking about and trying these various hyperlocal food traditions. I like that they go all over, that they include people who are incarcerated trying to make the best of what they have behind bars, and that even though I love food, love to cook, and read about food on a regular basis, these were largely unknown to me.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting series of excerpts from the NPR series. I do not think this would work as well if read (vs. listened to). This would appeal to people interested in food, cooking, American life. The discussion on the WPA project “America Eats” was particularly good; ironic that the series discussed Zora Neale Hurston’s participation in this WPA project (and how she was segregated from the white writers) and I was listening to one of her books during the same week.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the chapter on foraging, learning the impact of the George Foreman Grill, the history of the Chili Queens of San Antonio, sustainably harvesting wild rice on US lakes, Burgoo mopping, and the incredible impact of Georgia Gilmore and her secret kitchen during the Civil Rights Movement.

Most of the recipes aren’t anything I’d eat but there are a few, and some others worth attempting after some creative culinary tweaks.

[Pauline Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great audiobook. The stories (and voices) of many Americans from all walks of life, and their “hidden kitchens”. This audiobook was produced more like a radio show, and the variety of sounds - voices, as well as the background sounds of people cooking - were a big part of the listening experience. I haven’t seen the physical book, but I suspect it gives a quite different impression/experience than listening to the audio book.

[Dana Torrente · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as an audiobook! The mixing was fantastic and some of the stories super interesting. It was a little on the jumpy side and disorganized, but still great for people when love food writing.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect quarantine reading!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do think audio is the best for this particular selection of stories.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my preferred format. Felt like a series of teasers rather than a book by NPR mainstays. Perhaps this just didn't age well after 2 decades

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read for sure--so why 3 stars? Although I love the concept of this book, and some of the stories are truly amazing, the layout and some of the writing got on my nerves.

The layout and design are very coffee-table-book-esque (not a bad thing in and of itself). Phrases on each page are printed in red instead of black; there are plenty of pictures; and each chapter is broken into parts (there's a main story that's the focus of each chapter, then some recipes, followed by a section called "kitchen visionary" and/or transcriptions of stories that were called in to the show). The different colored fonts kind of irritated me, especially since a lot of highlighted phrases sounded so gimmicky and silly when isolated on the page.

I really liked how each chapter had sections, which highlighted multiple stories aside from the primary story. Although sometimes I couldn't help but think that the shorter messages from callers sounded so much more interesting than the longer stories in the book, for the most part I got into all the stories in some way. Except the NASCAR one, maybe. Interesting, sure, but I think there are other food-related tales more "deserving" of a full chapter in this book. And it's one of the few chapters with recipes that actually sounded downright repulsive to me. Story #10 ("Milk Cow Blues: The Apple Family Farm and the Indiana Cow Share Association") was really interesting to read, but seemed to deviate from the unifying theme of "hidden kitchens", at least as I understood it.

As for the writing: overall this book is well-written and captures the emotional, social, and cultural importance of food throughout the country. However, at times it made me roll my eyes with lines like "Mark Apple, beard and glasses, the kind of guy you might expect to meet in the band room at school rather than a milk barn...". Sorry, that's just a little too cheesy for me.

One chapter that just made me feel uncomfortable throughout was Story #3 ("The Chili Queens of San Antonio"). This was actually one of my favorite chapters in the book simply because of the story but the writing particularly irked me. The descriptions of the chili queens are horribly romanticized. It comes across as patronizing and the fact that these women were, ultimately, taking on these roles to make money for themselves and their families is minimized (it comes up a little near the end of the chapter). Instead, their fiery, mysterious personalities are emphasized in nearly every description, reinforcing a stereotype that seems to permeate the story rather than revealing any sort of "truth" regarding the real women involved in the chili queen legacy. Less than one page is dedicated to an actual interview with someone directly involved (Isabel Sanchez, granddaughter of a chili queen). I just wish more of this chapter had been constructed from first-hand accounts (the shorter story at the end, for example--"The Lark of the Border"--is excellent). But overall, this chapter came across as the least "honest" in its writing, as much as I enjoyed the story.

Despite a few shortcomings, this is a good book and very much worth reading. I doubt I'll try any of the recipes (except maybe the Czechoslovakian Moon Cookies)--it kind of seems like they're in the book more for show than anything. I mean, I probably won't be making 3 gallons of Moonlite Bar-B-Q Burgoo anytime soon...or ever...if you catch my drift. But the actual stories in these pages are truly amazing and make you consider how powerful food really can be, for both our bodies and our spirits.

[Katie Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In a strange and simple way, food can cross a line; it can cut through politics, race, religion. Civil rights activist Georgia Gilmore looked at a pie and saw a weapon for social change. So many other people around the country see the same power in kolaches, clams, ramps, burgoo---a way to raise money to build a library, fun a fire department, feed the hungry, take care of our elders and our children. In the right hands, in the right region, even a barbecued muskrat has earning potential for some social cause or political candidate..."


I read this book today. It is officially my new obsession. It was so amazingly intersting. I bought it originally as a wedding gift, but now I'm greedy and I want to keep it for myself. Everyone, do yourself a favor and go out and grab it.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful exploration of kitchens and cooking, in the strangest settings! Love the NASCAR kitchen chapter (makes sense, but who'd a thought?), Kentucky's obsession with burgoo, how Minnesota wild rice centers a native people's tribe on sustainability and economic growth, how Georgia Gilmore's cooking fueled the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama and San Francisco's urban forager, Angelo Garro.

Written from the archives of the authors' radio show, the book is a series of marvelous vignettes on the meaning of food. Peppered with narratives sent in by listeners, each chapter is best read slowly, with thought and consideration on food and life and living.

--Ashland Mystery

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!!! There is no narrative here, just transcriptions of voicemails left by listeners, alerting the Kitchen Sisters to the hidden kitchens they had to go see, then little snipets of the underground food traditions they encounter. More than anything this book celebrates the importance of these informal food gatherings in building community. There are a lot of pictures and a heavy emphasis on history and interviews with the old folks who remember how it was. There's a whole chapter on the San Antonio chili queens!!!!!!!!!! They talk extensively with Graciela Sanchez of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center!!!!!! Awesome!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited when I found this book at the library, since Hidden Kitchens is one of my favorite NPR series. Food is such an important part of our social being, and these stories of kitchens formed in all sorts of situations just brings that home. From homeless soup kitchens, to the illegally "integrated" kitchen in Montgomery, AL, to the foragers of San Francisco...food is the connector for all. It is so much more than a means to sustain life. Many of these stories brought tears to my eyes, and a longing for the "Sunday dinners" of my youth. Definitely a recommended read!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing, and I know it appealed to me more because it was an audiobook and I could listen to real people. The stories were personal, with they themselves telling each one the way they wanted along with sounds and music of the area or era. It was a wonderful collection of stories, and a good way to show how this generation is starting to miss out on the way food brings us together - homemade, with our families, and how it brings about kinship and belonging, and maybe most importantly the memories.

[Brandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book, the Kitchen Sisters travel country-wide giving insider looks into kitchens that are known only by word-of-mouth or reputation. You don't find reviews of fancy restaurants in here, it is pancake breakfasts at the senior's center, campfire cooked meals in kentucky, marina club lunches cooked in san fran and civil rights kitchens that are no longer. You meet all sorts of people in this book.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and quality audio presentation. If you are a frequent NPR listener, you know the kind of material you're going to get. My only gripe is that it doesn't spend enough time finding these kitchens and people, and too much listening to the phone messages. At some point there's a six-minute example of a bad message left on their machine...that was painful.
But the stories, kitchens and communities they do visit and go into real depth with are outstanding.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard about the Kitchen Sisters listening to their stories on the radio. I heard about how the George Forman grill is transforming the lives of inner city poor and of a mysterious soup called Burgoo. Here they continue to share their stories of food, family, community. I am reminded a little of Oranges by John McPhee and Cod by Mark Kurlansky. Food is more than just food.

[Susan Mazur Stommen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the asphalt workers who steam foil packets under hot tar and then come back to retrieve them later!

(Foil packet cooking kicks ass, go to the Better Homes and Gardens website for great ideas).

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

transcripts and additional materials on the Kitchen Sisters popular radio series on "Hidden Kitchens." Of particular interest (esp. for my thesis) is Georgia Gilmore's "Club From Nowhere," which helped to fund the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Civil Right Movement.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of fascinating stories of about how people relate to food. The scope is quite varied and always engaging. How can you not like a book with a line like, "I've been to sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots."

[Christen · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an audio book, I expected this collection of stories from NPR to be amazing. But I kept waiting for the cohesive thread to take hold and it never did.
The stories that seemed interesting didn't go deep enough to get there. In the end, it's a short audio book, but I was left wanting more.

[Kati · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I thought it would be. I thought we'd see more individual stories, but there were a hand-full of very long segments with a ton of very small, almost non-existent, snippets. The recipes are intriguing however!

[Shaheda]

just delicious...

[Addie Cole]

I am a sucker for anything to do with NPR. its kind of unfortunate, really.

[MBC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love food memoirs and this one is beautifully illustrated and discusses food traditions and cultures that I found fascinating.

[Chaybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course I love to read about food, and this book by NPR hosts did not disappoint. A very very interesting read about hidden restaurants and unique food ways.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounds like so much fun to me,traveling the US and discovering "hidden Kitchens" tying together social,political and cultural relevance to eating.